Disposable absorbent articles such as disposable diapers, incontinence pads, training pants, and catamenial napkins generally include an absorbent core for receiving and holding bodily exudates. In everyday use, a disposable diaper may be worn until the absorbent core is saturated with bodily exudates. Once the core is saturated, the disposable diaper can be removed from the wearer, disposed of, and replaced with a fresh diaper. Advances in manufacturing techniques and the application of new materials have allowed the development of disposable diapers with increased absorbency and comfort for the wearer. As such, some disposable diapers are provided with absorbent cores capable of receiving and holding more bodily exudates than previously possible.
Disposable diapers configured with highly absorbent cores may provide benefits by being able to absorb relatively large amounts of bodily exudates. However, high absorbency diapers may not be well adapted for use in some situations. For example, when worn in a swimming pool, a highly absorbent core will absorb and hold large quantities of water, making the diaper uncomfortable, heavy, and/or otherwise hindering the wearer's mobility. In recent years, disposable swim diapers have increased in popularity with some people. Many such swim diapers are adapted to be worn by children while swimming at a pool, lake, or otherwise engaging in activities in the water. Because the swim diapers are generally intended to be worn in the water, swim diapers may be constructed with absorbent cores having a lower absorbency than the absorbent cores provided in disposable diapers configured for everyday use (e.g. receiving and holding bodily exudates). As such, the absorbent core on a swim diaper will absorb and hold relatively less water.
Although the swim diapers provide certain advantages by absorbing less water, there are some disadvantages associated with such diapers. For example, because some swim diapers are configured with a core having a relatively low absorbency, such swim diapers may absorb and hold relatively small amounts of bodily exudates. As such, some swim diapers may become more easily saturated with bodily exudates and may be prone to leakage when worn outside the water. Therefore, a parent or other caregiver may be required to perform several diaper changes on a child when engaging in activities involving water, such as swimming. For example, a caregiver may want a child to wear a high absorbency diaper while traveling to a pool. Once at the pool, a caregiver may remove and replace the child's high absorbency diaper with a swim diaper. After wearing the swim diaper in the water, the absorbent core may eventually become saturated or waterlogged and may no longer effectively absorb and hold bodily exudates. Therefore, upon exiting the water and before engaging in other activities outside the water, a waterlogged swim diaper may need to be replaced with a fresh, dry high absorbency diaper or a fresh, dry swim diaper. Before traveling home from the pool, the caregiver may need to again remove and replace the child's swim diaper with a fresh, dry high absorbency diaper. In these scenarios, a parent or other caregiver may be required to perform diaper changes in public, such as on a pool deck. In other scenarios, diaper changes may have to be performed in a locker room or public restroom, which may unclean. Diaper changes in such public places as well as the number of diaper changes can become inconvenient for the caregiver and child alike. In one example of a situation involving multiple children of different sexes, it may be uncomfortable or inconvenient to change diapers in locker rooms designated as “mens” and “womens.”